The FA Trophy will continue to split opinion among fans, some relishing the chance of another trip to Wembley with others wanting to crash out in the early rounds and focus on mounting a challenge for promotion.

Wrexham, and also Gary Mills, have an affinity with the Trophy, the Dragons having won it in 2013 after a penalty shoot-out against Grimsby, while they faltered at the final hurdle last term and went down to North Ferriby United.

Mills, meanwhile, won the competition the season before Wrexham’s success with York City, the manager then returning to Wembley eight days later to guide the Minstermen to a play-off final victory over Luton Town to regain their place in the Football League.

Priority number one for Wrexham will always be promotion, much the same as for every other club in the National League, but it would be foolish to overlook a run in the Trophy.

Mills and York proved in 2012 it is possible to complete the double of promotion and Trophy victory – even if the former was secured through the play-offs – and there is little evidence to suggest that an extended run in a knock-out competition derails a team’s chances of said number one priority.

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Wrexham played a mammoth 61 games last term, a run to the FA Cup third round and Trophy final contributing to that, with many people stating those two factors cost the Dragons of mounting a promotion challenge.

Yet the basic fact was that Wrexham simply were not good enough last season to compete at the top of the standings.

This season under Mills there is a new sense of harmony within the Dragons ranks as well as a vastly different player personnel.

But the Trophy will continue to divide fans – even ahead of Saturday’s comprehensive victory over fierce rivals Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park, there will have been many who would have thought nothing of their team rolling over and suffering an early exit.

But it can become a dangerous mindset to enter into, a club picking and choosing which matches are important over the course of a season, which ones they want to win and which others they can allow to pass them by.

The players and manager said all the right things in the build-up to the game – ‘we are a professional outfit and we want to win every game’ was the party line being towed.

Wrexham are currently sixth in the National League, just outside the play-offs by two points, while they are a further eight points adrift of leaders Cheltenham Town with a game in hand, and therefore nicely poised to mount their bid.

Wrexham did a clinical and ruthless job on Saturday as they nullified Rovers and took the chances that came their way.

Wes York opened the scoring inside five minutes, his goal owing much to the contributions of Adriano Moke and Dominic Vose.

Moke embarked on a mazy run before playing in Vose to send over an inch-perfect cross for Jennings to slot home, the forward’s effort hitting the inside of the post, while the final touch was off Liam Ridehalgh.

Moke picked up a dead leg for his efforts and had to be replaced by Mark Carrington little after the half-hour mark, the midfielder filling the deep holding role and earning rave reviews from the manager.

But Wrexham did not have it all their own way and they were indebted to Rhys Taylor for three superb saves, each time to deny Adam Mekki, while James Norwood also saw an effort deflect onto the post.

Wrexham, in a 4-5-1 formation with Sean Newton moving from left-back into midfield, created little in the opening half, but added a second before the interval, Vose linking up with Connor Jennings to curl an effort into the far corner.

Norwood pulled one back for the home side moments later, taking advantage of a defensive mix-up to fire home, but Newton and Manny Smith both fired in after the break.

Newton tapped home at the second attempt from Ross White’s telling cross, while defender Smith headed home powerfully at the back post from Newton’s corner.

Smith was at fault for Rovers’ late consolation strike, being pick-pocketed by Norwood while trying to let the ball roll out for a throw-in, only to see the forward advance and slot home.

Momentum is paramount in building a promotion challenge, and with so many games coming thick and fast over the festive period, it would be dangerous to undo all the good work done since Wrexham turned their season around with a gritty win at Woking back in October.

Six wins out of seven since the victory at Kingfield Stadium is better than five wins out of seven. A defeat on Saturday would have registered as one win in three following defeat at home to Macclesfield and a win at Torquay seven days previously.

The key now is to make it seven victories out of eight at Braintree on Friday.